


High Risk, High Reward

by Mizu7



Series: WidowTracily [3]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Anxiety, F/F, Polyamory, death mention, strong love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-25
Updated: 2020-04-16
Packaged: 2021-02-23 00:30:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23302864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mizu7/pseuds/Mizu7
Summary: Talon has regained their a hold of Widowmaker, threatening to pull the kill switch should she hesitate to kill Tracer once again. Sombra has agreed to step in with a plan but Emily is less than thrilled.
Relationships: Emily/Lena "Tracer" Oxton/Widowmaker | Amélie Lacroix
Series: WidowTracily [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/849660
Comments: 16
Kudos: 123





	1. Chapter 1

Amelie had gone missing.

At first Lena and Emily thought nothing of it; they lived strange lives, living on opposite ends of a seemingly endless war and it wasn’t uncommon for Lena or Amelie to be gone for several days or weeks at a time. Which only added more stress and anxiety to Emily, the only civilian in the house, as they couldn’t tell where they were going or when they would return.

But at least a text, a phone call - hell, even a note; _something_ to let the others know at the very least they would be gone.

This time however, there was nothing.

It had been ages since the last time the three of them had shared a bed together, a tight weave of limbs and curves that fit like perfectly placed puzzle pieces. Had they paid more attention they would have realized Amelie hugged the two women tighter than before. Lena and Emily awoke the next day to their piece missing with not even a goodbye.

A terrible feeling settled in Emily’s stomach as Lena returned home, quietly sliding the glass door of the balcony shut behind her with a solemn look on her face as Emily looked upon her with hope in her eyes.

“Nothing?”

Lena shook her head, letting out a long sigh, her shoulders sagging in defeat.

“No, she wasn’t out on the field today...and I’ve checked any record of Talon activity anywhere on the bloody planet, even random terrorism attacks or sniper spotting but...” she ran a hand through her hair in frustration.

Emily’s heart ached, worry twisting her stomach and a shared frustration bubbling as Lena continued to come home with no good news.

She reached out in a quiet request for Lena to join her on the couch to which she quietly obliged. Shedding the accelerator, haphazardly dropping it on the small loveseat Lena plopped into the couch, curling into Emily’s awaiting embrace.

A tense silence filled their little home as Emily gently dragged her blunt nails across the short hairs on the back of Lena’s neck. At one point they had considered moving out to accommodate their third but now that she was gone, even the one bedroom apartment seemed massive.

Emily couldn’t even bother with weak words of positivity or encouragement as worry and anxiety filled the empty space where Amelie would be.

She had left everything she owned there.

Favorite mug still in the cupboard, brush she meticulously cleaned after every use still in the bathroom drawer and expensive shampoos sitting quietly in the shower. All waiting for her to return but now, a painful reminder to the two left behind of her absence.

The two turned in for the night clutching a pillow in between them to fill the void.

* * *

* * *

Gunfire was a regular backdrop in Lena’s line of work. She however, had the instinct of a soldier and reacted immediately at the very instant of that familiar popping noise in the air. But no other single shot brought the hairs on her skin to stand on end and heart to stop quite like the way that one did.

Though now it was for different reasons than it was several years ago.

The sky roared with a thunderous crack instantly sending the Overwatch team into cover.

“Sniper! Keep your head dow-”

“I’m on it!” Tracer called out, sprinting at full speed across the street past the objective, ignoring Morrison’s shouting in her ear.

She never realized just how innately familiar she had become with the sound of Widow’s Kiss.

Sure, she had encountered other snipers before since Amelie’s disappearance but this one she knew. No other gun commanded such silence or attention. Deep in her gut she knew this was it and there was no denying it, and there would be nothing to stop her as she zipped up a building and leapt across rooftops.

After weeks of searching, fighting with herself everyday to not give up hope there she was, kneeling in front of a metal rail with her gun pointed downwards towards the rest of the Overwatch team.

Lena wanted to laugh, unable to believe her own eyes but could barely catch her breath as she slid to a halt, grasping her knees but keeping her eyes straight at the woman who remained utterly still, the barrel of the rifle still smoking.

“Goddamnit Amelie you scared the hell out of us,” Lena finally catching her breath smiled wide.

Widowmaker’s head slowly turned, unnaturally slow before standing. The rifle in her grasp shortened into its machine gun form reserved for closer combat as she faced Lena.

Lena slowly stood up straight, taking in the sight before her and finding a slew of red flags.

Widowmaker stood there, completely rigid and frozen in place, Lena would have nearly mistaken her for a statue just then had she not brought the gun up to aim straight for her. The spider-like headpiece remained over her eyes, covering the little emotion she would be showing. At least the faintest of smug smiles would grace her features upon seeing Tracer but there was nothing but a thin tight line.

Lena’s brows furrowed, taking a cautious step forward with her hands out as if to calm a caged tiger.

“Come back to us love,” she started quietly, her eyes nervously darting between the gun aimed at her at the blank face that stared back,”Emily misses you, I miss you...please come home.”

Lena could hear her own heartbeat pounding her ears, now close enough to see her own reflection in those red orbs and the finger that hovered the trigger.

She was also just close enough to faintly hear a faint voice come from the headpiece.

_**“I’ve cut their eyes and ears. You have 60 seconds.”** _

The crimson orbs dulled as the light behind them faded away, soft whirring of machinery hummed to life as the headpiece slid back away from Widowmaker’s face.

Lena’s breath hitched in her throat, finding a familiar pale face with an expression she couldn’t read.

Upon seeing Lena with her own eyes Amelie’s lips quivered into a small smile that quickly morphed into a tight grimace, struggling to keep herself together as a single tear slipped out from the corner of her eye.

Her arms fell limp at her side, dropping the rifle carelessly as if her hands no longer had the strength to carry it. Only a moment later did her knees also give out.

Lena immediately blinked forward to her side, kneeling before her she wrapped her arms around her in a tight hug.

But Widowmaker remained still.

“They’re going to kill me.”

Lena straightened up, keeping a firm but gentle hold on Widowmaker’s shoulders, searching those conflicted golden eyes that struggled to find the right emotion to feel at the moment.

“The reconditioning stopped working months ago,” she mumbled quietly,”Now they know and if I don’t kill you-”

Lena suddenly became painfully aware she had never seen this before.

The occasional scoff, chuckle and smirk sure but this?

Widowmaker’s hands balled into a tight fist, her brows furrow in anger yet her eyes were glossy, tears falling freely as the frustration and anguish was tearing her apart.

“I can’t go _**home.**_ ”

Lena blinked back in surprise, the last word uttered out through gritted teeth and quivering shoulders.

“There has to be a way,” Lena quickly replied, wishing her voice were stronger for the both of them,”We have to leave, go somewhere, anywhere away from all this where they can’t find you and-”

**30 seconds.**

Amelie shook her head sadly, taking a long sigh of defeat she reached up and placed her hands on Lena’s hands, her thumb caressing Lena’s wrist.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled quietly,”I love you both so much.”

With Lena’s guard down, Amelie grabbed onto her gauntlet, finding the hidden switch easily to open and the pistol within.

With a swift shove she sent Lena backwards and pointed the gun at her own thigh and fired.

“Amelie no!” Lena cried out, jumping back onto her feet just as Amelie dropped to the ground, her eyes squeezed tight, teeth grit and hands clutching her leg as blood spilled from her wound.

Right on time the spider eyed headpiece hummed back to life, closing around her eyes as the spheres burned bright red light.

“...I’m down,” Amelie hissed, knowing they were listening now,“I need extraction now.”

Lena grabbed her gun, only able to shoot a worried glance Amelie’s way before blinking away from the rooftop as the roar of Talon’s reinforcements came closer to collect their prize sniper.

* * *

* * *

“We knew this wasn’t going to last,” Emily managed to choke out finally after a long moment of silence,“We knew this was temporary going into this.”

Lena sighed,“Yeah...I know but...”

Emily sat frozen in place at the table clutching a hot mug of tea she had yet to drink from yet, feeling the warmth slowly leave with time.

Lena sighed, leaning back against the kitchen counter,“It’s just...You know me, always lookin’ on the bright side. Hoping that maybe...just maybe...you know?”

Emily ran both hands through her hair, replaying Lena’s story in her mind only finding her heart twisting with worry more than the first time she heard it.

“So what do we do?”

Before Lena could respond another voice chimed in.

“That depends, what are you willing to do?”

Sombra hadn’t fully teleported in the small apartment living room by the time she found herself on the business end of two guns. One Emily pulled from under the table, tape still stuck to the side of the barrel and the other Lena had stashed behind the coffee maker.

Sombra quickly brought her hands up,“Ah ah easy there ladies. I’m unarmed and I only want to chat. I come as a friend.”

Lena’s brows furrowed,“If I recall correctly Amelie made it very clear to not trust you.”

Sombra nodded,“She’s smart, but in this case she’s willing to make an exception. She wouldn’t have sent me here otherwise, besides, who else do you think it was that intercepted the plan to make another Widowmaker?”

Emily lowered her gun, just slightly as Sombra eyed her up and down,”And Amelie was right, blue is _not_ your color.”

Lena, unconvinced, took careful steps to stand beside Emily with her gun still trained on the intruder,“What do you want?”

“To help Amelie, I know how to get her free from Talon. The three of you run off somewhere into the sunset and wait for the fires to die out.”

Emily’s eyes narrowed,“Well that seems awfully convenient that you would have a solution but why? Why help us?”

“I have my own plans and if Widowmaker is out of the picture it will make those plans a lot smoother without being worried about a headshot from miles away.”

Emily shot Lena a glance from the corner of her eye, quietly seeking her opinion. To which Lena sighed and lowered her gun,“What did you have in mind?”

“It’s a good plan but I’m warning you all now. You’re not going to like it.”

Sombra was correct, they did not like it at all.

“No.”

“Emily wait-”

“Absolutely not.”

Sombra watched as Emily stood up from her seat at the table and began to pace around the room.

“I’m sorry but do you have any better ideas?”

Emily stopped, crossing her arms firmly across her chest as she shot a glare at Sombra,“Of course not but this is insane.”

Sombra sighed, rolling her eyes before reaching out towards the glowing schematics she pulled up to explain her plan. Her hands glowed in response as she swiped across files of Widowmaker’s surgery, transformation, x-rays, everything there was to know about Talon’s precious weapon floated over the table giving the room an ominous purple glow.

“They can and will flip that kill switch whenever they want, but it will deactivate if her heart stops. So, stop the heart, remove the switch and the tracker while she’s out then use your fancy doctor to revive her then boom! As far as Talon knows, she’s as good as dead.”

Emily stepped forward, her hands clutching the back of a chair in a tight grip,“Are you serious? You think it’s that easy to just...medically induce death? Hope she comes back and everything is just fine?”

Sombra blinked at her once,”Uh...yes, that’s exactly what I was thinking actually.”

“They’re going to kill her the next time she hesitates,” Lena sighed, burying her face in her hands, hating the words as she said them,“Either way she’s dead Em.”

The chair screeched against the hardwood floor as Emily shoved it forward to continue her pacing. Unsure with what to do with her hands they clutched her hair in frustration.

Sombra’s brow raised slightly,“She made it very clear she has no intention of harming either of you and would rather die.”

“I know that,” Emily hissed under her breath.

“And there currently are no other options available to you.”

“Yes I _know_ that,” her voice rising in volume through her teeth.

“Then what is the problem?”

At this Emily stopped, staring at the two for a moment realizing they had been watching her with confusion.

“What’s the problem? Are you fucking seri- you all are so beyond reach you don’t even realize how crazy this plan even is?”

Lena turned in her seat to stand,“Emil-”

“No! No this is fucking nuts and you have no idea because I’m just-” she stopped to catch her breath, her heart beating wildly in her chest, “I can’t do the things that you do, I’m just a civilian-a mere mortal while you all talk about this like it’s nothing.”

Sombra’s brow raised,“You’re scared.”

“Of course I am!” Emily laughed hysterically at the ridiculousness of it all, catching Sombra off guard for a moment,”I’m fucking terrified! How can I not be?!”

With a soft sigh and nod Sombra stood up, closing her glowing hand into a fist to return the screen into the small device on the table.

“Listen, I’m going to leave this here. It’s also connected to me directly, when you’ve made up your mind let me know.”

Lena nodded as Sombra quickly pressed a sequence of buttons on her wrist,”Thank you Sombra.”

“Don’t thank me yet, but think about it. Though I recommend you do so quickly, Amelie is running out of time,” with that she was gone, teleporting back to wherever, leaving Emily and Lena alone in the small quiet apartment.

With a short huff, Lena stood up,“Em?”

“Lena I hate this, God I hate this so much,” she broke down finally, leaning back against the wall she slid to the floor in a defeated slump,“I hate how powerless I feel and I can’t...I can’t help enough where it matters and I just-”

At this Lena immediately rushed forward to kneel beside her,“Em no are you kidding me? We need you more than anything,” she said, offering a shaky smile and her hand which Emily took.

“Amelie and I have always hated this work we do, there isn’t a moment of quiet that goes by that we don’t take for granted,” Lena plopped backwards onto her behind, pulling Emily’s hand upwards to place a small kiss against her knuckles.

“You’re right, this does seem like nothing to me, Angela has brought me back from the dead more times than I care to count or tell you but I’m just used to it. I understand your reservations, but I don’t think we have a choice.”

“I know, deep in my gut I know we have to do this but I just…” Emily’s words trailed away as her chest tensed, choking back sobs as tears escaped from her eyes.

Lena quickly moved in, wrapping her arms around Emily as she sobbed into her shoulder.

“She could die and come back to us, or she dies on her own terms, she dies at least trying to be free.”

“But if this doesn’t work I didn’t get the chance to say goodbye.”

Lena’s heart sunk into her stomach as Emily’s voice broke, her arms clutching onto the back of her jacket and face buried into her shoulder as she cried.

“Please tell her for me,” she whimpered,”Tell her we miss her and we love her so much please Lena.”

Lena nodded, holding her tight and placing a kiss atop her head, fighting back her own tears she mumbled quietly,“I promise.”

* * *

* * *

“Oh good you’re both here,” Lena forced out a fake smile as if walking into Angela’s office while Jack was finishing his check up was not completely planned.

“Lena? I don’t have an appointment with you today,” Angela reached for her clipboard to double check herself but Lena just laughed nervously.

“I know I just,” her words caught in her breath as the two stared at her curiously, realization dropped into her stomach like a lead ball. This was a secret she had been keeping from Overwatch for ages, though they had their suspicions there was no easy way to tell her parental figures, two people she loved and trusted for years, she had been quite literally in bed with the enemy.

”Oh wow this is uh a lot harder than I thought this was going to be uh ok so,” she cleared her throat, looking anywhere else in the room than the two who waited in confusion.

Jack’s eyes narrowed, immediately catching on to her nervous quips after years of working together his face softened as did his voice,“Lena what’s wrong?”

With a deep breath Lena let out a long sigh.

“I know how to stop Widowmaker,” she paused for a moment, finally looking up she added,“Permanently.”

The two before her looked on with interest and more questions, to which Lena’s head shrunk into her shoulders.

“But...you’re not going to like it.”

She was right, they did not.

“How long has this been going on?!”

“Well...I mean it’s...uh…”

“Where did you get this information?”

“Uh so the um...Talon hacker? But-”

“Sombra?! And do you honestly think you can trust her?”

“You know what yeah I deserve the lashing but-”

“I can’t believe this. I knew I’ve been letting you off too easy but this?!”

Lena groaned, burying her face in her hands as Jack continued to scold her, pacing nervously in front of her as she felt incredibly small in her chair.

“This is incredibly irresponsible of you and worst of all you dragged Emily into this?”

“Alright I get it!” Lena snapped back, instantly regretting her outlash as Jack immediately stopped his pacing to face her.

A beat of heavy tension sat between them before Lena let out a long sigh, unable to look at the disappointment and frustration on Jack’s face Lena looked across the room to find Angela completely silent, her mouth hidden behind her hands neatly interlaced,eyes unblinking and focused upwards towards the purple screens floating above her desk.

Talon’s files on Widowmaker.

What she would have given to have had these years ago.

“You’ve been pretty quiet Angie,” Lena called out quietly.

Angela’s brows furrowed, her eyes scanning over a particular report several times before finally speaking.

“She broke out of her reconditioning,” Angela mumbled, as if speaking it aloud would help to understand but Angela could only shake her head, dumbfounded.

“I couldn’t find a single thing when she came back to us but you and Emily?” she leaned back into her chair, a small smile of disbelief gracing her features,”You both did this I’m, well I’m impressed mostly,” she paused for a moment, sitting back up she turned her eyes past the holoscreens towards Lena who instinctively swallowed,”But don’t take my composure for ease, you are asking a lot of us, of _me_.”

“I know I am, but I gotta tell ya, Amelie broke out of it herself,” Lena laughed, rubbing the back of her neck as another secret would be spilled.

“I didn’t want to worry you guys but then things got really out of hand fast and suddenly she’s living with us but Talon was targeting Emily.”

Jack opened his mouth to begin another string of reprimands but Lena quickly continued.

“They sent people to kidnap her, and according to Amelie, they were going to make another Widowmaker out of her. But Amelie stopped them, I barely made it in time but I saw her take out her own guys. She took a bullet for me, next thing you know we are hiding her and well...here we are I guess.”

Lena huffed, nervously fiddling with her own hands she continued.

“Amelie and I haven’t shared a single secret about Overwatch or Talon. When we go home we don’t even talk about work, we don’t want to. That's what Emily became for us, something normal while the world is burning. We just, I don’t know, I guess we wanted to pretend there was nothing going on outside.”

Jack remained quiet, watching with a heavy heart as Lena slowly looked up at him, her shoulders heavy with guilt and the secrets she had been keeping from them.

“You don’t even have to do this for me but this is our chance to get Widowmaker off the field for good.”

Angela took the small device in her grasp, deactivating the holoscreens to look at Lena with no distractions and with intent.

“Let’s pretend we go through with this, then what?”

“I still have that safe house in Moscow, I’ll send Emily with her and they stay there.”

“If Talon is already aware of your involvement they’re going to track you,” Jack crossed his arms over his chest, watching as she let out a sad sigh.

“Which means I won’t see them for a while, I’m aware of the risks but if this means she will be safe then I’m ok with a little long distance even though it will absolutely kill me to not see either of them.”

The heavy quiet returned as Lena struggled to find anything else to help her case. Amelie’s life was hanging by a single decision that was no longer in her hands; she could only watch helplessly as the two exchanged looks that were unreadable.

“Jack please I-”

He quickly lifted a hand up for silence.

“You don’t need to convince me further. With Widowmaker gone that gives us one less thing to worry about and you won’t be distracted for once. This is Angela’s call as she will be the one doing the procedure.”

Lena sat up, her eyes alight with hope and heart thundered in her chest, awaiting Angela’s answer but quickly deflated upon seeing a forlorn look on her face.

Angela held the small device in her hand no larger than an old usb drive, quietly turning in between her fingers as she became lost in thought.

Little did Lena know, Angela made her decision the moment the idea was proposed to her.

“We failed Gerard that day,” she started quietly,“And I failed Amelie, someone I considered a good friend and I didn’t do enough then,” tearing her eyes away from the device she held it tight in her grasp and offered Lena a small smile.

“Now you’ve given me a chance to make it right.”

* * *

* * *

The hard part was done, or at least Lena had thought so.

Speaking one on one with the two people in her life she had considered close friends if not family figures and spilling her deepest secret was far more intimidating than any amount of explosions, buildings toppling over or any bullets chasing her heels.

Plans were in place spearheaded by Sombra quietly orchestrating the entire thing from somewhere on the other side of the planet without Talon’s knowledge. According to her, the less she appeared to be involved the stronger chance she had to continue with whatever plans she had. Perhaps this would one day come back to bite Lena, removing Widowmaker would allow Sombra more wiggle room to do whatever she wanted. Whatever it was. Who was to say that would mean the fall of Overwatch all over again?

There was only a moment of guilt but this feeling didn’t last, Lena wanted Amelie to be free and if that meant for a catastrophic end then so be it. She could only hope this wouldn’t be the case but as far as now was concerned she didn’t have much of a choice in the matter.

**“It’s now or never ladies, the escape plane is in place. Widow, stay in position, Tracer will be there in t-minus forty seconds. Give me that safe word and I’ll turn off Talon’s connection, giving you a chance to knock her out cold then get the hell out of there in less than a minute. Understand?”**

“All the time in the world,” Lena forced out a laugh, hoping it would hide her nerves as she blinked across the city.

For this to work Jack turned a blind eye, keeping the others in the dark of her whereabouts insisting that Lena was on her own for a different mission as they continued on with their own.

Meanwhile Angela waited patiently in an unsuspecting cargo aircraft far away enough from the mission to not catch attention or get caught in the crossfire but close enough that an ace pilot like Lena could easily fly across the city and land into the large carrier in a matter of moments.

“Everything was in place, everything was going to be fine,” Lena mumbled to herself, hoping her own words could calm her nerves.

Yet as Lena blinked past a chimney and slid to a halt upon spotting the sniper she felt her stomach twist into knots.

Amelie stood there, headpiece once again closed around her eyes with her gun pointed down towards the streets in a lackluster stance, shooting at street lights rather than the enemy she was sent to murder. Just standing there and quietly awaiting her fate to take her away.

Lena gulped, flicking her wrists she brought her guns into her hands and spoke loud and clear.

“Tryin’ to crash the party luv?”

**“Copy.”**

The headpiece instantly dulled into black orbs, the eyes slid back revealing Amelie’s face who let out a long sigh of relief, eagerly tossing the gun aside and opened her arms for Lena to collide into her.

**“60 seconds starting now, let’s go ladies.”**

Lena hugged her tight, there wasn’t enough time to say the things she wanted to, even if she did would it be enough?

“When I see you again, you’re going to be saved. Then we can go home, together.”

Amelie smiled, humming softly in approval as she wrapped her arms around Lena’s small form,“I’m glad you’re being optimistic for the both of us.”

“For all of us, Emily hates this but she loves you so much”, there wasn’t much time left, Lena hesitantly pulled away, just enough to catch those golden eyes staring down at her,“We missed you so much, there wasn’t a single day we didn’t think about you.”

Amelie’s cool hands reached up and gently cupped Lena’s face,“If I don’t wake up, know that you’ve both made me the happiest I never thought I could ever be.”

She leaned in, placing a quick kiss on Lena’s lips just as she pulled out a small syringe.

They parted and with a faint nod Amelie closed her eyes and felt the needle prick the side of her stomach.

She didn’t open her eyes again that day.

* * *

* * *

* * *

She always thought the white light at the end of the tunnel was rather ridiculous yet here she found herself surrounded by an intense golden light she found herself eating those very words.

She remembered being awoken with a loud gasp, her eyes snapped open as a surge of life and energy she had never felt before shocked her body like a bolt of lightning.

She recalled seeing the Overwatch doctor, a face that seemed familiar but not to her. The woman spoke softly but honestly Amelie couldn’t really hear her or comprehend what had happened other than one moment she was dead and now she wasn’t.

Her vision blurred as she fought for clarity, blinking furiously through the haze she could barely make out the small operating room, the sound of machinery beeping somewhere behind her at a sluggishly slow pace. She eventually focused onto a metallic tray nearby, covered in blood and surgical tools with what appeared to be a small computer chip now smashed to pieces.

It worked.

She passed out moments later as the relief washed over her like a wave taking her back to sea.

When Amelie woke up again it was dark, instant regret took hold of her as her skull rang with a dull pain.

She hissed, instinctively reaching up to hold her hand against the throbbing but found her hand to be trapped.

Her eyes snapped open, instantly assuming perhaps Overwatch wanted to keep her prisoner but as she looked down she found her hand captured by a familiar red head instead. In fact both of her hands were being held hostage.

Each side of her bed sat Lena and Emily, sound asleep with her fingers interlocked with Amelie’s.

A quick glance around the room she saw bags of clothes and snacks stuffed in a corner, a small trash can overflowing with empty containers of food, and judging by the general disheveled look of both women they had been living in this room for a while.

Amelie smiled, her thumbs gently caressing each hand that held her own, feeling their warmth seeping into her.

The heart monitor beside her beeped quietly, she barely noticed the slight increase in her usually slow tempo before slipping into a peaceful rest.

For once in her life, excited about tomorrow.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The surgery was a success but that means staying in the shadows until it's safe.

When Amelie woke up again she was somewhere completely different.

She didn’t need to open her eyes to know the different feel of the bed beneath her, now a comfortable mattress rather than the gurney she had found herself before. She could faintly make out the hum of cars outside and the soft rumble of a heater meant to fight the chill that crept along the wall.

Unable to remember what she was doing here or why, uncertainty and panic began to rise in her chest but her body felt numb, overwhelmed by medication. She fought through the haze to open her eyes but was too exhausted to move, let alone see her own surroundings just yet.

The sound of a door opening and closing brought her into immediate attention, every muscle in her body tensed ready to spring into action despite the soreness.

Acting on instinct to listen closely to the shuffle of footsteps coming closer to her bedside she readied herself.

Without a second thought, the very moment she felt a hand brush against her bandaged forehead her eyes snapped open and her hand reached out to snatch at her captor like a caged predator lashing out.

But much to her surprise, a familiar redheaded figure grabbed her wrist first and pinned it down to the bed with a victorious smile.

“Not this time love.”

Amelie blinked back in shock, confusion settling over her features as Emily let go of her hand and caressed her cheek.

“Do you remember anything? You’re safe I promise. It’s really me, none of the crazy spy nonsense you and Lena get up to.”

Amelie opened her mouth to reply but her words barely made it past her lips as memories came flooding back to her.

“I...died,” she mumbled quietly, slowly reaching up to brush her fingers against the bandages wrapped tight around her head.

“Yeah, you did, scared the hell out of us,” Emily choked out a laugh, grabbing a nearby chair to sit beside her.

“What...what happened? Where are we? Where is Lena? How long have I been-”

Emily smiled, taking her cool hand into her warm grasp, “Take it easy for a moment. A lot has happened since the surgery but you need to rest and relax.”

Amelie pouted, her brows furrowed in impatience while Emily couldn’t bring herself to stop smiling.

“Sorry, I know you have questions but I’m just really happy to see you,” she laughed, smiling wide.

At this Amelie’s face softened, blushing lightly upon realizing those beautiful green eyes were looking at her and only her.

“Oh stop that, with that look, I’m fine,” she huffed, looking away and finding the dull beige paint of the walls more interesting than those eyes on her that never failed to make her heart jump a beat.

Emily couldn’t help the giggle that escaped her lips,”Alright alright, we’re in Moscow, Lena’s safe house. It’s been three days since the surgery and it looks like it was a complete success.”

Amelie let out a long sigh of relief, staring up at the ceiling she let her eyes slip closed.

_It worked._

Perhaps it was her own mind playing tricks on her, or the medication wearing off, but she could swear she felt the tightness around her head was no longer there.

The image of small computer chips being smashed to bits at her bedside flashed across her eyes.

“So we are laying low here for...well until we get the ok to go back out. A house arrest of sorts, Lena said Talon is on high alert searching for you.”

Amelie turned her head to face Emily upon feeling the warmth leave her hand,“Where is she?”

Emily stood up, reaching out towards the bandages around her head to gently peel away,“She’s home and safe but...“ she paused a moment, a flash of sadness in those eyes brought an instant heart ache as Amelie watched her search for the right words.

“We won’t be seeing her for a while, chances are Talon knows she’s involved in you going missing. They’re probably going to follow her if she goes anywhere suspicious.”

Amelie remained quiet. It made sense but her chest clenched in disappointment. She had so much to say, to thank Lena for trusting her, for going forward with this risky move that had ended up being worth it.

She sat up, just enough to allow Emily room to unwind the bandages. Soon there was a wad of cloth in her grasp leaving Amelie with the phantom sensation of it still being there.

Emily stepped back to toss the wad away but found herself doing a double take with eyes wide in surprise.

“Oh that’s a look…”

Amelie immediately reached up and touched her head in a moment of panic, her hair was still in the same place and length the same until she reached the back of her neck.

She froze, slowly trailing her hand upwards from the base of her skull finding her hair was shaved and one long line of stitches still wet with some kind of medication but otherwise healing well.

Emily grinned, quickly retreating into what Amelie assumed to be the bathroom, tossing away the bandages in exchange for two small mirrors,“It’s not too noticeable, or I can give you a proper undercut, I know Lena would absolutely die.”

Using the two mirrors at the right angle while Emily lifted her long hair out of view Amelie couldn’t help the small gasp escaping.

Sure enough the back of her head was shaved down for the surgery, an awkward two inch wide and three inch long rectangle, uneven and messy, most likely done in haste to complete the surgery while her heart ceased beating.

She half expected herself to be more upset; there were few luxuries she was allowed under Talon’s watchful eye but her hair was one she refused anyone to touch save for the girls. But instead a mischievous smile grew on her face,“Actually...I wouldn’t mind trying a new style.”

Emily’s eyes widened in excitement,“Wait...are you serious?”

Amelie paused for a moment, trying to imagine herself with a proper undercut, just as the small section was shaved just all around her head. Lena always teased at the possibility, late nights spent with her running her fingers up along the back of her neck, gently tugging on the small hairs there. Not very subtle in the desire to see Amelie in a stereotypical queer haircut, though she assumed it was just Lena being her usual annoying self.

But perhaps now it would be more of a physical reminder of her new life, to wear it out with confidence for others to see and know.

“I died and came back, perhaps a little experimentation with my hair wouldn’t be so bad,” she shrugged, holding out the two small mirrors for Emily to take.

Emily’s smile couldn’t get any wider, able to see right through that nonchalant look on Amelie’s face. She was just as excited.

“Oh my god love, you, are going to look _incredible_ ,” Emily squeaked, taking the mirrors back to the bathroom she immediately began rustling around for clippers.

“Of course I will but perhaps tomorrow? I still feel heavy,” Amelie sighed, brushing her hair to lie over her shoulder as she continued to stroke the bald spot around her stitches. Hair was already beginning to grow back, like thin velvet beneath her fingertips. She couldn’t stop even if she wanted to. It felt surprisingly nice, it was no wonder Lena would be a puddle in her lap after a few moments of head petting.

“Sure thing but do you mind if I join you?” she asked upon returning, crouching beside a small dresser she quickly pulled out a set of pajamas,”I’ve spent the last three days wondering if and when you were going to wake up. Sleeping has not been great on my end.”

Amelie smiled sadly, curling onto her side she carefully propped her head up upon her fist and watched as Emily change,“I’m sorry I made you worry.”

“I accept your apology in exchange for cuddle time as we are very overdue for,” Emily huffed, wearing shorts and a large oversized shirt Amelie immediately recognized as one of Lena’s old shirts from her military days. One that Emily had begged on countless occasions to get rid of as the RAF symbol was nearly worn completely away and whatever color it once was neither Emily or Amelie could identify.

Seeing it on Emily brought on a soft chuckle.

“I accept these terms.”

The bed was small, though luckily Amelie was known to cling tightly when the moment called for it. Emily opened her arms and allowed Amelie to conform to her front, arms wrapping around her waist and face buried against her neck just underneath her chin.

A soft sigh of contentment slipped past Amelie’s lip, warm breath gently tickling Emily’s throat.

It was in this comforting embrace that realization sunk in.

“It worked,” Amelie mumbled quietly in disbelief despite holding onto a warm body close, convinced this was an elaborate dream, she nuzzled her face against her collarbone,”It actually worked.”

Emily smiled, gently brushing the long strands of hair from her face, dragging her fingers through the full length of it all, careful to avoid the stitches.

“Yeah, it did. How do you feel?”

“I...don’t know, I never thought I...” she stopped herself for a moment, unconsciously clutching onto Emily’s shirt,“I was so ready to accept death I didn’t even consider this was a possibility. I didn’t want to get my hopes up.”

Emily’s heart sunk into her stomach, continuing the motions of dragging her hands through her hair.

“I hated this plan, I wouldn’t have been able to say goodbye if it didn’t work and that killed me.”

Amelie fell quiet, she knew this the moment the plan was constructed. There was no safe way to see Emily while out on the battlefield or even in her own time while Talon was keeping a short leash on her. It killed her to no end that the last moment together was her sneaking out of the apartment, shooting one last longing look as Emily slept.

Amelie blinked rapidly as her eyes began to sting.

For a moment Emily assumed she had fallen asleep after nearly a minute of silence until Amelie’s shoulders began to quiver followed by a soft whimper beside her.

“Ame? Hey are you...are you alright?”

Pulling back Emily reached down to gently coax Amelie back, cupping her face to look up at her. Quite surprised to find those golden eyes glossy as tears threatened to spill over, realization striking her in the stomach as she had never seen Amelie cry before.

Amelie quickly shrunk back, avoiding her concerned gaze she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand in a hurry,“I’m...sorry I don’t know why I’m…”

But Emily pulled her in, placing a soft kiss over her forehead, brushing her cheekbone with her thumbs.

“Ame you’re free now and you’re with me. With us.” she smiled softly,“You can cry.”

Like a light switch Amelie crumbled in her hands, hot tears spilling from her eyes as she sobbed into Emily’s shirt, clutching the old fabric in a vice grip.

Emily blinked back in surprise, comforting Lena was common in their relationship. She was an incredibly stubborn person who insisted on carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders, behind closed doors away from the spotlight she cried until there was nothing left and felt ready to take on the world once again.

But Amelie was always different, though they knew that from the beginning. Talon’s hold on her made it difficult to feel anything let alone affection with the two women in her life. Struggling to find the right emotion would usually come out as deadpan responses or the occasional smug over confident mask that the girls learned to see right through. Amelie’s actions were the loudest and the easiest for her to convey what she wanted, fingers intertwined with a slight squeeze, the gentle brush of her fingers against an arm, small gestures that spoke volumes in the silence of her own uncertainty.

Now in her arms Amelie sobbed, years of pent up emotions finally releasing and overflowing she cried for the first time in a very long time.

Emily offered soft murmurs of comfort, holding her close until she cried herself to sleep.

* * *

* * *

Lena paced around the apartment, now void of both occupants. She found herself restless and anxious. Going from room to room to find something, anything to keep herself preoccupied, in which she realized maybe the three cups of tea were a bad idea as she was wide awake and unable to stand still.

She opted to put her phone on the table in the living room, knowing that she would only check it every three seconds. But this only meant she would pause between each room to grab her phone and check for any notifications she had missed, only to run off and check again a minute later.

Lena returned home exhausted, she was close to spending the night at the Overwatch HQ after an eventful evening. As expected Talon was not pleased to have lost their best sniper and correctly assumed Tracer was involved.

Now with a much bigger target on her back, Tracer spent most of the mission dodging bullets than helping her team. By the time Overwatch made it out and flew off into the sunset Lena threw off the accelerator as the core overheated, burning her jacket and skin she flopped face first onto the cold floor of the heli carrier and groaned in relief.

Her legs were jelly, unable to form any coherent words as she struggled to catch her breath from sprinting for so long while Winston panicked to repair the accelerator before it malfunctioned into ripping a wormhole in the ship.

It was quite the eventful day but still she came home anxiously awaiting for Emily’s daily updates.

Despite preparing for it the entire evening when the small phone buzzed she squeaked in surprise, nearly dropping her fourth mug of tea she nearly leapt over the kitchen table to swipe the phone up.

“Emily oh thank God I’ve been dying to talk to you all day it’s been the worst and I just miss you so much and how is Amelie doing? Is she awake yet?”

Instead of the usual charm of Emily’s calm assurance Lena received a soft laugh smooth as silk that brought an instant chill up her spine.

“Hello cherie, I’m quite alright thank you for asking.”

Lena’s jaw fell open, a wide grin growing on her face as her words failed her.

Amelie just laughed.

“Cat got your tongue?”

“Can I see you?” Lena finally managed to squeak out, running to sit herself on the nearest chair as the phone beeped before the screen fell to black.

A moment later there she was, Amelie’s smug face, winged eyeliner to perfection and gorgeous smoky eyes. As if she had not died days ago her favorite dark shade of lipstick adorned that smirk Lena couldn’t help but sigh, falling in love all over again.

”You’ve got no right looking that gorgeous love, shouldn’t you be in bed? I mean, don’t get me wrong I love it but you’re not going anywhere for awhile until Talon is off our trail.”

“That may be true but I’d be damned if I’m not going to look good while under house arrest.”

“Which has been great for me let me tell you,” Emily called out from somewhere out of frame.

Lena jammed her cheek into her fist as she sighed,“Ugh, I’m jealous. Em come over here I want to see you too!”

Lena watched as Amelie repositioned herself to hold the phone back and tilt it up just enough to show Emily walking up behind her.

“Alright but no lipstick on me I hope that’s alright.”

“Oh I suppose that’s fine,” Lena giggled, taking a quick screenshot as Emily draped her arms over Amelie’s shoulders, resting her cheek against Amelie’s head, the two women watching Lena with smiles abound.

Lena let out a long sigh, her heart swelling in pride and utter relief,”How are my girlfriends so incredibly gorgeous? How lucky can a gal get?”

Amelie rolled her eyes into the sun though Lena could easily spot a faint blush in her cheeks while Emily just laughed.

“We miss you too babe.”

“Is there any word of when we can see you? I’d like to thank you in person.”

“Trust me if I could I’d be there now but it’s too early and too risky. I don’t wanna throw away all that work cause I want to hug you both and kiss both of your beautiful faces and...and...” her words trailed away as she let out a groan in frustration, promptly dropping her face into the table with a loud thump.

“It’s ok Lena, I know it’s rough but we can check in like this everyday and talk for as long as we want.”

Lena only grumbled a half hearted noise of agreement.

Amelie hummed to herself, tapping her chin in thought,”I think I know what will cheer you up cherie.”

Lena lifted her head up just in time to see Emily’s equally confused face flash over in realization as Amelie pointed to her hair.

“Oh that’s a great idea!” Emily squealed, immediately running off with Amelie following at a much slower pace and taking the phone with her.

“Should I be concerned or more comfortable for this with the windows closed?”

Amelie’s smile turned dark for a moment as she winked at the camera turning the tips of Lena’s ears red.

“Perhaps later but for now I’m interested in a somewhat symbolic haircut that I think you might find pleasing”

Lena stood up so fast the chair behind her fell back,”No.”

“Oui.”

Amelie tilted the camera to show Emily standing behind her in the bathroom with a wide grin and clippers.

Lena very calmly put the phone down before running a quick lap around the kitchen wooping with joy as the two women laughed out loud.

“Yes yes yes! This is by far the greatest day of my entire life!” Lena squealed, sliding back into her chair she found the phone was repositioned to lean back against the bathroom counter.

A trash bag was cut and wrapped around Amelie’s shoulders as she took a seat facing the mirror while Emily collected supplies.

“I mean, well first of all I want you to know while you have my support I hope you’re doing this for you and not just me.”

“Well, there is a very unpleasant patch in the middle of my head and that just won’t do. But make no mistake I think it would be a nice change,” she shrugged though Lena could easily look past her nonchalant attitude and see the apprehension in her eyes.

“Ugh, this is only going to make me miss you guys more!” Lena huffed but still ran off to retrieve her tea and watched as Emily went to work, pulling Amelie’s long hair up and clipped out of her way she ran her fingers through the hair left down to be chopped. Grabbing a spray bottle of water she made quick work prepping before grabbing the clippers to which Amelie let out a long sigh to prepare herself.

“So gives us the update while I make some magic,” Emily called out over the loud hum of the clippers.

“I mean it’s about the same, well besides Doomfist making it his life mission to put me six feet under ground everytime we meet,” Lena sighed, taking a long swig of her tea as Amelie laughed, keeping her focus on Lena she refused to acknowledge the long locks of hair dropping from her head to the floor.

“I didn’t think he’d be happy to see me gone, we worked very well together and he liked my work.”

“Yeah, well ,now with him calling all the shots in Talon I’m a primo target, and I mean more than usual too. Then Reaper was after me all day today and my accelerator fried my jacket again and…” she paused to sigh but smiled through it regardless,”I’m just a little tired, nothing I can’t handle loves.”

The moment the long run on rant left her lips Lena straightened up as Amelie’s focus shifted to look elsewhere.

“But hey it’s completely worth it don’t listen to me like it’s a bad thing you know? I don’t mind being chased around if it means you can be free.”

Her eyes softened, returning her gaze to the camera,“I...I understand, although I do still feel bad,” she forced out a smile,”There are only so many iconic jackets you can burn through.”

“Oh don’t you worry love you know I can take it! Besides so far the price has been worth it,” Lena grinned pointing back at her.

Emily was half way done now, the right side of her head, just an inch above her ear and down was shaved down to the largest setting on the clippers while the left side remained as it was for so many years.

“So, I did this first so you can see it, we can keep it here or go shorter to match the surgery cut?”

Amelie remained quiet, for a moment a tense silence sat between them all as her face was unreadable.

“Uh...do...you like it?” Emily tried quietly.

“I won’t lie...it’s…” she paused for a moment, thinking carefully on her words carefully,”Different.”

“You look great love!” Lena piped up,”I swear I’m not being biased because I’m a useless lesbian!”

Emily raised an eyebrow at the camera while Amelie shook her head with a small smile.

“Hair grows back,” Amelie finally stated like the fact it was before nodding,”Carry on.”

With her customer satisfied and confident to continue Emily made quick work of the other side, carefully avoiding the stitches at the base of her skull. Before they knew it she was done, clicking the clippers off Emily brushed the hair off Amelie’s shoulders and tugged off the trash bag.

“There we are, we’ll start here before going shorter? See how you feel about it?” Emily suggested, removing the large clips holding the rest of her hair up and let it drop along her shoulders.

Lena remained quiet, watching in awe as Amelie stood up, leaning over the bathroom counter to slowly drag her fingers through the side of her head.

“This is...interesting,” she finally mumbled, uncertainty in her voice.

But Emily was quick with a brush, tugging Amelie by the belt to sit back down and went to work brushing her hair to one side, fully exposing the fresh shave,“Then you just flip all this to one side like this and there you go, a beautiful femme queer to make the ladies swoon and cry….well more than usual.”

At this Amelie blinked back in surprise,“Oh.”

Meanwhile Lena’s eyes were wide with delight and an enormous smile on her face she squealed,”I’m going to actually cry with joy. Ame, you look stunning! How do you feel?”

“It’s….breezy,” Amelie mumbled quietly, unable to stop herself from running her fingers through the short hair.

“Oh yeah it’s great in the summertime!”

Amelie stayed quiet, examining every bit of her new look with an intense stare in the mirror but her fingers eventually found their way towards her stitches, instinctively flinching.

“This is going to be a time of big change for you Ame,” Emily started, placing a hand on her shoulder with a reassuring squeeze she smiled at the reflection of Amelie who nodded slowly,”We’re proud of you and here for you the whole way ok?”

“Yeah! I’ll be calling you both every day whether you like it or not! You’re gonna get through this just fine!”

Amelie laughed, rolling her eyes at the wide range of optimism given to her from both sides but reached up and intertwined her fingers through Emily’s and smiled at Lena’s confident grin.

“Ok.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you Tanner!  
> Edited by Nox


End file.
